In determining principles pertaining to adultery, it should be noted that these are the same as those pertaining to idolatry.

Therefore, some argue, that just the Messiah’s relationship with believers is equivalent to a believing husband's relationship with his wife or wives, so also is the relationship between an idol and unbelievers equivalent to an unbelieving husband's relationship with his wife or wives.

Is this analogy valid?

I think not!

All human beings are to worship the Almighty Yahweh, and only the Almighty Yahweh. They are not to worship entities the Almighty Yahweh has not authorised them to worship. Thus Yah'shuah the Messiah, Almighty Yahweh's Son, having been accorded by Almighty Yahweh the status of being worshipped, ought to be worshipped. Angels, who are fellow servants with human beings, not having been accorded by Almighty Yahweh the status of being worshipped, are not to be worshipped. Therefore, other than Yahweh, only Yah'shuah ought to be worshipped.

When humans worship an entity other than Yahweh or Yah'shuah, they are committing idolatry, which is equivalent to spiritual fornication. If these humans are also believers, having given themselves over to Yah'shuah as his betrothed, then such worship of other entities is both idolatry and spiritual adultery. For they have been betrothed in marriage to Yah'shuah, and have no spiritual husband other than Yah'shuah. Therefore if they worship another, rather than worship Yah'shuah, they commit spiritual adultery.

The reason why human marriage exists is because of the planned marriage between Yah'shuah the Messiah and the called out ones. Implying that human marriage is a type of the marriage between the Messiah and his called out ones, those betrothed to him in marriage. Therefore just as Yah'shuah the Messiah treats the called out ones, so also should a husband treat any wife and all wives of his.

If one of the called out ones, one of the believers, abandons his worship of and submission to Yah'shuah the Messiah, choosing for himself or herself another master, even Satan or an agent of his, or even his or her own head, such a one commits spiritual adultery, and becomes an apostate. For such a one has left one's spiritual husband and gone after another whom one should not go after. For it is only through Yah'shuah the Messiah that we can reach Yahweh. There is no other saviour!

It should therefore be noted that in the spiritual arena there is only one valid marriage relationship - that between Yah'shuah the Messiah and the called out ones, those who believe in him and believe him. There is no equivalent marriage between Satan and his followers, or between other created beings and their followers.

Human marriage was created because of the planned marriage between Yah'shuah the Messiah and his believers.

It should be noted that the analogy in Ephesians 5 is that between human marriage and the marriage of Yah'shuah the Messiah to the called out ones. It is not an analogy of a believing husband and his wife or wives, excluding unbelieving husbands and their wives. Rather, marriage for ALL HUMAN BEINGS was created because of the planned marriage between Yah'shuah the Messiah and the called out ones.

If one, in the context of marriage, puts unbelieving husbands and wives in a class inferior to that of believing husbands and wives, then one is implicitly saying that unbelievers are not humans! For Ephesians 5 does not make a distinction between believing husbands and wives versus unbelieving husbands and wives. Also the phrase "for this reason shall a man leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife" does not make a distinction between a believing man and an unbelieving man. Rather the command was given to all human beings.

Therefore, in the analogy given at the commencement of this paper, the comparison of unbelieving husbands to idols is NOT a valid comparison for the purposes of deriving principles of the law against adultery from those of the law against idolatry. In the place of unbelieving husbands one should put "fornicating and covetous men" who prey upon the wives of others!

For a fornicating and covetous man seeks a woman who cannot belong to him, but already belongs to another man. He therefore seduces and induces someone's wife to commit adultery with him.

Is not this exactly what Satan does? For the called out ones have been betrothed to Yah'shuah the Messiah. Yet Satan and his agents do not respect that these do not and cannot belong to him. Instead, in covetousness he seduces and induces Yah'shuah's own to rebel against Yah'shuah and go after him! For when a believer apostasizes he or she, by not submitting to Yah'shuah the Messiah, indeed submits to Satan and his erroneous ways. Is not Satan therefore clearly seen to be playing the spiritual role played in the human arena by a fornicating and covetous man who seduces and induces a wife of another man to commit adultery with him?

Therefore it should not be said that a marriage between an unbelieving husband and his wives is equivalent to the relationship between an idol, such as Satan, and those who engage in idolatry or spiritual adultery. The equivalent of Satan and idols is a fornicating and covetous or lustful man, not an unbelieving husband who does none of these.

It should also be remembered that some marriages of unbelieving men are actually sanctified, in that the unbelieving husband is sanctified on account of his believing wife, and their children are also sanctified, again on account of the believing wife. If Yahweh does indeed sanctify some unbelieving husbands, those married to believing wives, can such a person correctly be typified as an idol or Satan? Does Yahweh sanctify idols or devils on account of being spiritually worshipped by apostate believers? Of course not! Therefore, unbelieving husbands, some of whom are sanctified on account of their believing wives, cannot correctly be typified as being the equivalent of Satan and idols (demons) in their seducing of human beings to worship them. Worship by human beings should be directed only to Almighty Yahweh through Yah'shuah the Messiah. Any other worship is idolatry and spiritual fornication - spiritual adultery in the case of those betrothed to Yah'shuah the Messiah.

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